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The X Factor was at the centre of a new drugs scandal last night after a teenage contestant boasted online about smoking marijuana.

Tamera Foster, 16 – who enthralled the judges on yesterday’s opening show – not only posted pictures of what appeared to be a cannabis joint but also bragged about smoking “zoom”, which is marijuana coated in class-A drug PCP.

Underneath the picture on her Twitter account the schoolgirl from Gravesend, Kent, wrote: “Puffing on that Mary Jane with @LivvsParkerx.” She made several references to “Mary Jane” – a slang term for cannabis – and the effects that the drug had on her.

X Factor bosses yesterday spoke to Tamera about the posts and sources on the show said she was “mortified”.

Last night a programme spokesman said in a *statement: “The X Factor does not condone the use of drugs in any way, and appropriate action will be taken against anyone found to be taking drugs while under our care.”

The show has been rocked by previous drugs scandals. In 2011 Frankie Cocozza was booted off for using cocaine, and in 2010 oddball contestant Wagner faced the axe when it was claimed that he bought *cannabis inside the TV studios.

Tamera, tipped as one of this year’s stars, tweeted last December 27 at 3.20pm: “Woiiii I just woke up :O that zoom last night put me to sleeeeeep garddd.”

According to government drug advice department Frank, PCP can cause hallucinations and convulsions. The service advises: “It might make you feel really happy and upbeat but can also cause you to feel very down, panicky and paranoid. You may believe things that aren’t true. Some people become more aggressive and violent.”

From Tamera’s Twitter *account – @DiorTee – next to the picture of the unlit “joint” posted last December, she made references to the effect the drug would have on her and captioned it: “Time to fly high with my sis @livvsparkerx.”

On January 13 she confessed to a craving for the drug and re-posted the same picture, writing: “This would please me right now.”

Two days later she posted another picture of herself with a friend and made reference to the effects marijuana can have. She wrote: “Flying sky high with my homie Presh. Just look at my eyes mate.”

On January 21 she tweeted: “Riding that morning wave with @LivvsParkerx & The Sweet Sweet Mary Jane.” She had previously written: “In hale that good s**t exhale the bulls**t.”

She has posted numerous other pictures – of herself and the same friend – which she references with smoking marijuana. All the posts were still online yesterday as X Factor bosses prepared to screen her first appearance on the show.

Tamera set up another account – @TeeUnoIgotIt – a few days after finding out whether she had progressed to the bootcamp round of the talent show.

She tweeted a friend, asking her to follow her new account and saying: “I’m doing something next week that said I have to go through all my tweets and delete ‘inappropriate’ ones.” When the friend asked if she was referring to X Factor, she replied: “yeahhh tryna keep it quiet while I can though xx.”

This week it was simple to find her “secret” account. By Googling her name you are directed to an Instagram account through which she uses the same handle as the controversial twitter feed.

An X Factor source said last night: “Tamera has been spoken to. However bosses realise she was young and impressionable and don’t want to ruin her chances on the show because of this.”

The account is followed by 22-year-old Jerrie Diller who she originally auditioned with in Cardiff as part of girl duo Silver Rock. But the judges unanimously decided to split them up because of a lack of *chemistry before asking them to audition separately.

Tamera then sailed through to tonight’s second audition round. She will sing Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing and judge Gary Barlow tells her: “you have potential beyond belief.”

Back in 2010 when Wagner faced the axe, a spokesman for Talkback Thames, which produces The X Factor, insisted: “We take allegations of drug-taking extremely seriously.”

Drake, Rizzle Kicks, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Sean Paul (and basically ever other R&B/hip hop star) all openly do drugs and are currently in the top 10 on the charts. Nobody is going to care, at least not young people, maybe some older conservative people (since a lot of them watch the X Factor) might try to kick up a fuss about it.

Drake, Rizzle Kicks, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Sean Paul (and basically ever other R&B/hip hop star) all openly do drugs and are currently in the top 10 on the charts. Nobody is going to care, at least not young people, maybe some older conservative people (since a lot of them watch the X Factor) might try to kick up a fuss about it.

Just because someone is an R&b or hiphop artist deos'nt mean to say they are taking drugs.

Just because someone is an R&b or hiphop artist deos'nt mean to say they are taking drugs.

The ones I listed are all do, and they're currently in the top 10 on the charts. So openly doing drugs doesn't hurt your reputation.

I'm not just assuming it because of the music they do. Rizzle Kicks and Sean Paul both had top 10 hits about cannabis, Justin Timberlake has openly said in interviews that he smokes weed, Drake raps about weed all the time, Jay-Z, where do I begin lol.

Yes, I'm sure there's a few that don't do any drugs. 50 Cent said he doesn't smoke weed, there's others like Eminem, Pharrell, Macklemore who did in the past but have stopped doing drugs now.

The ones I listed are all do, and they're currently in the top 10 on the charts. So openly doing drugs doesn't hurt your reputation.

I'm not just assuming it because of the music they do. Rizzle Kicks and Sean Paul both had top 10 hits about cannabis, Justin Timberlake has openly said in interviews that he smokes weed, Drake raps about weed all the time, Jay-Z, where do I begin lol.

Yes, I'm sure there's a few that don't do any drugs. 50 Cent said he doesn't smoke weed, there's others like Eminem, Pharrell, Macklemore who did in the past but have stopped doing drugs now.

I think the difference here is that she is appearing on a family entertainment show. They got rid of Frankie remember.

This is just the media clutching at straws to get some juice on a contestant.
I wouldn't call it much of story tbh and I bet most of the panel and possibly other contestants have taken a lot worse.
Move on